Pride.
A quality or a flaw, depending on the person. Some people succeed in life thanks to their pride. The most obvious example? Steve Jobs.

For anyone who knows his story, it's clear that his pride turned Apple into one of the biggest companies in the world.

But not everyone gets that kind of luck. Pride can also be the reason for someone's downfall. Some people disguise it as "honor" to justify their inhuman actions, all in the name of feeding their insatiable egos—often destroying themselves and everything around them in the process.

This time, keep one word in mind before we continue: ego.

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"David, say something... please."

"Yumi... is that you?"

"Even if I look a bit different, yeah, it's me. Now, spill it. What did you find out?"

"He's coming back sooner than we all expected."

"What? Sooner? That's impossible... there was a fixed date, and it hasn't changed since the beginning."

"Looks like the plan got altered... Ugh, this pain is unbearable..."

"Stay calm. The meds haven't kicked in yet. Now tell me: when's the date?"

"According to my calculations... the first phase is starting today."

"What?! He was supposed to warn us! And... was that an earthquake?"~

"It's starting now. You better get ready because a ton of shit is about to go down..."

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"Ahh!"
I woke up with a little scream, gasping for air. What the hell were these dreams supposed to mean? Were they glimpses of something coming, or someone else's point of view?
"Dammit, not again..."

Every day I woke up with even more questions, and no answers in sight. I needed a distraction. So, I headed to my wardrobe, pulled out a hidden shoebox from the back, and opened it. Inside were my childhood dolls—little pieces of my past I couldn't bring myself to get rid of.

I lay on my bed, dumping the dolls out, and soon enough, my imagination took over.

"Yumi, will you go to the party with me? ... Of course, David! I'd marry you too! Mwah, mwah, mwah!"

Okay, don't judge me. Just because I'm popular doesn't mean I'm not a 16-year-old girl with a hopelessly romantic imagination.

"We'll have two kids and a beautiful house by the sea!"

"Uh... am I interrupting something?"

I jumped at the sound of Alicia's voice. She had just walked in, catching me in the act. I shoved the dolls under the covers as fast as I could.

"How much did you hear?" I asked, my face burning red. Normally, I keep these little fantasies to myself.

"Enough to be traumatized." Alicia did the sign of the cross and plopped down next to me on the bed.

"So, you still haven't asked him, huh?"

"I'm thinking of a way to do it without dying of embarrassment in the process." I showed her my phone.

"Rebeca said last night she'd do something about it. So, I'm waiting for her signal."

"She said that? Oh boy, better brace yourself for something crazy."

"What do you mean, 'crazy—'"

"I'M HERE!" Rebeca's voice practically shook the walls as she barged in, spinning like a tornado. If someone didn't know her, they'd swear she was on drugs. Then she stopped, throwing her arms out dramatically toward the door, like she was introducing the main act of a circus.

"And guess who I brought with me..."

"Hey," said David, stepping inside with his smooth, laid-back voice.

Tall, well-built but not over-the-top, short neat hair—he wasn't the hottest guy in school, but he didn't need to be. Everything about him was enough for me.

Unfortunately, I wasn't ready for this. I went into complete shock and fainted on the spot. Yeah, not kidding. What follows is just what those two idiots told me after the fact.

"How the hell did you get past her parents?" Alicia asked, genuinely surprised. My folks had a strict no-boys policy, yet somehow David managed to pull off the impossible and make it all the way to my room.

"Did you two climb in through a window or something?"

"Honestly? No clue what happened downstairs." David scratched his head. "I guess I just have a certain charm with adults."

"Yeah, sure," Rebeca chimed in, smirking. "If by 'charm,' you mean getting grilled for your ID number."

"But hey, the important thing is—he's here now, right, Yumi?" Alicia said, glancing over at me. Except I was still sprawled out on the floor, "dead."

"YUMI!" Alicia shouted, rushing over to me. She lifted my head into her lap and started... praying.

"Oh my God, I'm a murderer!" Rebeca was pacing back and forth like a lunatic, her hands pulling at her hair. "My parents are gonna kill me! They'll take away my PC gamer setup! How am I supposed to live without it?!"

"You're being dramatic," David cut in, rolling his eyes. "Go grab some water. I'll figure out how to wake her up."

Rebeca bolted out of the room at lightning speed. David sat down on my right and looked at Alicia.

"Got any ideas? Because now's the time," she said, pulling a tiny bottle of olive oil from his pocket and rubbing it on my forehead.

"I have one," David said, a little hesitant. "But I'll need to... touch her. Is that okay?"

"Fine. But if your hands go anywhere inappropriate, the wrath of God will descend on you through me." Alicia's tone was dead serious, and the glare she shot him could've frozen hell over.

Even trembling a bit, David nodded and positioned his hands over my chest. He started pressing repeatedly. And then, when it came to mouth-to-mouth, he stopped and glared at Alicia.

"Don't even think about it. I will do it," she said, blushing furiously. Alicia leaned in and performed the CPR, but it wasn't working.

"What now?" she asked, desperate.

At that moment, Rebeca came running back in, tripping over the rug and spilling an entire glass of water right on top of me.

I don't know what kind of holy water that was, but it worked. I jolted awake, sputtering and drenched.

"What the hell?!" I yelled, sitting up. It felt like I had only blinked, and suddenly, I was soaked. "Why am I wet?!"

"Let's just say your heart skipped a beat seeing David," Alicia teased, pulling me into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Honestly, I don't understand what just happened, but... glad it worked out," David said, chuckling softly.

"Well, now that the drama's over, let's get to the point," Rebeca said, plopping onto my bed. "David, Yumi wants to ask you something important."

David turned to me, his face surprised and a bit flushed.

"Is that true, Yumi?" he asked.

Before I could respond, Alicia whispered loudly, "Just say yes, idiot."

On instinct, I stepped closer to him, until our faces were only a few inches apart.

"What do you think you should say, David? Gonna turn me down?" I managed to say, but my body refused to move any further. That stupid feeling—the one I had for him—took over again, freezing me in place.

Then, out of nowhere, David cupped my face with his hands, leaning in. And just as we were about to—

My mom walked in, holding a tray of snacks.

"Excuse me, kids. Thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some sandwiches!" She strolled in casually, with the audacity to act like she wasn't ruining everything.

"Why the hell are you wet?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"I, uh, spilled water on myself... by accident," I muttered, clenching my fists in frustration. In my head, I was screaming, GET OUT! but I forced myself to smile.

"Thanks for the snacks, Mom. Can you leave us alone now?"

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything," she said, finally leaving—but not before giving us a weird, disappointed look. Like she was hoping to catch us doing something inappropriate.

"Just when it was getting good," Rebeca groaned, letting out a dramatic sigh.

Suddenly, David's phone buzzed. He read the message, and his expression shifted in an instant—serious, even a little worried.

"Sorry, I have to go now. Something came up. See you at school!" He leaned in, gave me the quickest kiss on the lips, and was gone before I could even process what happened.

The second he was out the door, the room exploded into chaos.

"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" Rebeca was screaming and jumping like a maniac. "You almost kissed him for real!"

"I knew you'd do it! I prayed all night for this moment!" Alicia said, looking ridiculously pleased with herself.

"I don't know what I'd do without you two," I said, laughing. "Let's celebrate with a sleepover!"

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Rebeca: Just so you know, the next day she turned down over 40 guys who asked her to the party. The number wasnt even higher because the rest already knew what her answer would be.

End of Chapter.